The Govt said in Lok Sabha on Wednesday that the Waqf Amendment Bill would be renamed UMEED Bill, Unified Waqf Management Empowerment, Efficiency and Development Bill.
Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said that Section 40 of the current Waqf Act was being misused by a few for their selfish gains. "That is why Waqf property increased by lakhs," he said.
According to government data, Waqf boards in India control 8.72 lakh properties, amounting to over 9.4 lakh acres.
There are 30 Waqf Boards across India, according to the official website of the Waqf Asset Management System of India.
Under Section 40 of the Waqf Act, the Waqf boards were empowered to decide if a property was Waqf property. The board's decision was final, unless revoked or modified by the Waqf Tribunal.
Rijiju was defending the Waqf Amendment Bill after tabling it in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday said the Bill doesn't "snatch" any land from the Muslim community, as it was being touted by some Opposition leaders.
The biggest change that is being brought in with the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, is the abolition of Section 40, which allowed the conversion of any land into Waqf property by the boards. Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju called it the "most draconian" provision of the Waqf Act during a debate in Parliament on Wednesday.
"The most draconian provision in the Act was Section 40, under which the Waqf Board could declare any land Waqf property. But we have removed that provision," Rijiju said.
JD(U) MP Rajiv Ranjan (Lalan) Singh says,
"Since the beginning of the discussion, attempts have been made to create an atmosphere as if the Bill is anti-Muslim…But the Bill is not anti-Muslim at all...Waqf is a sort of Trust which is formed to work in the interest of Muslims. This is not a religious organisation...
The Trust has the right to do justice to all sections of Muslims, but that is not happening...Today, a narrative is being made. PM Modi is being criticised, if you do like him then do not look at him. But appreciate his good work."
Shiv Sena MP Shrikant Shinde said:
"On behalf of Shiv Sena and my leader Eknath Shinde, I completely support this Bill. This is a historic and important day...First Article 370, then Triple Talaq and CAA, and now this Bill has been brought to this House for the welfare of the poor...I was pained upon hearing his (UBT's Arvind Sawant) speech.
"It was very shocking. I would like to ask UBT a question, they should ask their conscience whether they would have spoken the same had Balasaheb (Thackeray) been alive today. It is clear today whose ideology UBT is adopting today and opposing this Bill.
"They had a golden opportunity to rectify their mistakes, rewrite their history and keep their ideology alive...But UBT bulldozed their ideology beforehand...Had Balasaheb been here today and read UBT's dissent note, he would have been pained...".
TDP MP Krishna Prasad Tenneti speaks in support of the Bill and says,
"The TDP's role in shaping this Bill shows our commitment to Muslim and minority welfare. Ensuring the welfare of minorities has always been the top priority since the formation of our party...".
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